Tainted Mind
by dark-spirited Bakura
Summary: Starscream has been in stasis lock for over 1,000 years. In order to cope, his mind created its own world in which the Autobots fought for peace against the war hungry Decepticons. Finally waking up, the seeker has to accept that what he had come to know as reality was all in his head.
1. Prologue

**This idea has been contaminating my brain for weeks now, and I decided it's about time to actually make it into a proper story. Since I'm sure you'd rather read the fanfiction instead of an Author's Note, I'll try and keep this brief. **

**The Shattered Glass universe is going to be canon in this fic, although I'm going to be creating the characters' personalities myself. If you don't like the way I've portrayed someone, I apologize in advance. I'm keeping everyone's colors and designs the same as they appear on Transformers Prime, excluding optic colors. I may or may not bring in a few characters from G1, that's something I haven't decided on yet. **

**All right, now that that's done, I'll let you guys get on with the reading. Hope you guys enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers or its characters. **

**Summary: Starscream has been in stasis lock for ****over**** 1,000 years. In order to cope, his mind created its own world in which the Autobots fought for peace against the war hungry Decepticons. Finally waking up, the seeker has to accept that what he had come to know as reality was all in his head.**

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**Prologue**

_Starscream raced upwards into the sky, feeling the cold Arctic breeze trail along his wings. Anticipation welled up in his spark as he thought about what he was about to accomplish. 'After all this time… who would have thought I would be the one to snuff the mighty Optimus Prime? Not to mention I hold complete control of the Decepticons due to Megatron's comatose state… Everything is going perfectly.'_

_ He flipped around quickly, now speeding towards the ground. He engaged his missiles, preparing to fire on the completely helpless Autobot. "Megatron's greatest mistake was ever allowing you to live, Prime!" he growled menacingly. In another nanosecond, he would fire…_

_ Suddenly a huge mass crashed into his side, causing him to let out a surprised shout. He transformed into his bipedal mode before he was thrown onto the Nemesis, trying to minimize the damage. He stared up at his attacker in horror and disbelief. _

_ 'No… this can't be… Megatron is supposed to be on the verge of dea__ctivation__! He had absolutely zero neural activity when I last saw him!' A barely comprehensible string of praises for Megatron's well being left his mouth as he backed away slowly, hardly registering what he was saying. _

_ "… if you survive what I have planned for you!" was all Starscream had to hear before he switched back to his jet mode and put every last scrap of energy into his thrusters. Before he could even move an inch he felt claws dig into his tail and throw him back onto the cursed ship, causing him to once again abandon his vehicle form. _

_ Starscream was completely engulfed in fear as the warlord approached him, and desperately tried to redirect Megatron's attention to the Autobots in a final attempt to save himself. "But… the Autobots! Optimus! Right there, waiting for you!"_

_ "My greatest mistake? I've made a few. But there is one I intend to never make again!" Megatron's massive claw reached towards him, causing the seeker's vision to go black. _

And then Starscream woke up.

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**Yeah, super short Prologue I know. But the actual chapters are going to be a lot longer, I promise. Anyways I'd love to hear what your thoughts are so far, let me know if you have any suggestions at all for the story. Reviews are the best part of my day! **

'**Till next time.**


	2. Chapter 1

**And presenting the official first chapter! I'm really not happy with how this turned out though; my computer decided to delete the first version I'd spent hours typing up and therefore I had to rewrite the whole thing from scratch. I liked the first version a lot better, but you guys get this one instead. Sorry. :( I hope writing the next chapter turns out to be a lot easier.**

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**Chapter 1**

Megatron sighed, resting his head in his hand as his blue optics flicked over the mission report for what had to have been the hundredth time. This was the third energon mine they'd lost to the Autobots in the past orn, and it was really starting to worry him. His troops were starting to run low on energy, and he doubted they'd be able to keep their ship in the sky for much longer. A good portion of their mining equipment had been stolen as well, which didn't help their case whatsoever.

"Megatron, sir!… Are you… All right?" asked a combination of recorded voices. Megatron turned his head, looking at the purple mech that sat to his left. Soundwave had been attempting to locate other existing energon mines that hadn't been discovered yet, but a quick look at his screen showed that he'd had no luck as of yet.

"I'm fine, no need to concern yourself," Megatron said, attempting a small smile. "How is the locating of new mines going?" he asked, even though he knew the answer.

Soundwave hesitated a moment before answering. "Nothing yet!… But still… Looking, sir."

The silver mech sighed once more, nodding his head. "Very well, keep up the good work." He frowned as his current Second in Command turned away, a small bit of anger rising up in him as he remembered the incident which robbed Soundwave of his vocalizer. Another reason to hate the Autobots. _Another reason to hate Optimus Prime._

Megatron's attention shifted back to his own screen, letting his gaze drift to the upper right corner which showed a live video feed of the Med Bay. It looked like all of the injured troops had been sent on their way, and Knockout was sitting down next to the only occupied berth in the room. The Decepticon leader's gaze softened when he looked over the comatose seeker.

Multiple life-supports were attached to Starscream's thin frame, and a monitor sat beside the berth that kept the medic constantly updated on his vitals. 'For over 12 vorns, he's been like this…' Megatron's hand clenched into a fist, and he tried to hold back his rising anger as he looked back to the report.

A few kliks later, he was surprised by a comm. from Knockout.

:Megatron, are you there?:

The silver mech was caught off guard by the medic's lack of formality, but didn't question it. :Yes Knockout, what is it?:

:It's Starscream, I think he's finally waking up!:

Megatron's optics widened, and he shared a glance with Soundwave. :Are you positive? It could be a false alarm; we've had a few of those in the past.:

:It's really happening! His neural activity has changed and shows that he's no longer unconscious but in a light recharge. He could wake up at any time now!:

The silver mech let out a small laugh of relief, not believing what he was hearing. :We'll be down shortly, Knockout.:

:Right!:

Soundwave tilted his head slightly to the left. "I can hardly believe it!... after so long…"

"You and me both," Megatron replied, giving one last annoyed glance at the mission report before standing up. "We'll just have to head down there and see what happens, I suppose."

* * *

Starscream awoke to complete darkness. He looked around, confused. Something didn't feel right… He felt somehow disconnected, like he was floating…

His optics suddenly widened. He wasn't deactivated, was he? Had Megatron actually gone too far with the beating this time? Now panicking, the seeker attempted to move his arm. To his dismay, it didn't budge one tiny bit. He concentrated his entire willpower on simply moving one of his claws, gritting his denta in frustration. _Come on, come on…_

After a few moments of trying, he was able to move a single claw up and down. There was a slight tugging sensation, and the floating sensation was ebbing slowly. He smirked. _That was easy enough… Now, for the rest of my body… _

Starscream continued to fight for control over himself, becoming more and more confident as he regained more of himself. He suddenly felt very heavy, and his optics shuttered closed.

Then, he was falling.

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Knockout paced back and forth beside Starscream's berth, continuously glancing between the seeker and his vitals. Everything was going good so far… He turned to his Leader, ceasing with his pacing for the moment.

"Now, you have to keep in mind that Starscream isn't going to be himself when he wakes up. No mech can remain in stasis for this long while retaining a firm grip on reality. I'm guessing that a large portion of his memory banks has been corrupted, so he may not remember any of us or recognize where we are." Megatron grimaced a bit at that. "Just take things slow and don't overwhelm him. He's going to have questions; only answer them if necessary. If he-"

"Easy, doctor. Let's just deal with one thing at a time."

Knockout vented a sigh. "My apologies, sir. I'm just a bit blown away that this is actually happening, after so long."

Before Megatron could reply, Soundwave pointed at the seeker. They all turned to see that his claws were twitching slightly, and his optics were slowly opening. The room went dead silent, everyone's gaze focused intently on Starscream.

Starscream blinked a few times, proceeding to stare at the ceiling. He then glanced around at the mechs present, freezing once his gaze met Megatron's. The first words that spilled out of the seeker's mouth were the furthest thing from what Knockout had been expecting.

"Please don't hurt me, Lord Megatron! I've learned my lesson!"

Knockout stood there in shock, optics wide. There were so many things wrong with this picture. Not a single word Starscream had said made any sense. He glanced over to Megatron, who was in as much shock as the doctor was, maybe even more so.

The red mech took a step forward, raising his hands. "Easy, Starscream. No one's going to hurt you. I'm sure you're probably pretty disoriented right now-"

"Oh, don't patronize me, _doctor,_" Starscream snarled, demeanor drastically changing as he glowered at Knockout. "You-" The seeker stopped, optics narrowing in confusion. "Is this some kind of joke?"

Knockout blinked slowly, making a show of looking around the room. "What do you mean?"

Starscream let out an exasperated sigh. "You must be more dimwitted than I first thought." He brought a claw to the side of his face and tapped it. "Your optics. Why are they blue?"

The medic shifted his weight nervously, already seeing that the seeker was going to need a lot more help recuperating than he first thought. "If you don't mind my asking, what color are they meant to be, Starscream?"

Starscream rolled his optics, obviously annoyed that he had avoided the question. "I have no idea what the slag has gotten into you, but I'll humor you. Your optics? They're crimson _red_, dear doctor." His gaze travelled back over to Megatron, becoming less hostile. "Not to say blue optics don't suit you, my liege, but why the sudden change of color?"

Megatron moved forward, almost regretting it when the seeker immediately shrunk back, expecting a hit. "Starscream, you've been in stasis lock for a long time."

Starscream scoffed, waving a hand. "A long time? Meaning… what? A few orns, perhaps?"

"More like 12 vorns," Knockout threw in, watching the seeker's expressions carefully.

The winged mech stared at him for a few moments, then burst into laughter. "12… vorns? That's a good one. And let me guess, Soundwave is now the chattiest mech on the warship?"

Soundwave took a step back, obviously offended. Starscream continued laughing, and Knockout reached for a sedative. "I'm putting him temporarily back under," he said in a low tone, glancing at his leader for approval.

Megatron gave a slow nod, unnerved by his former Second in Command's nearly hysteric behavior. _What happened while you were in stasis…? _

The doctor injected the syringe into the crook of Starscream's arm, almost immediately calming him down. His optics slipped shut once more and the room returned to being deathly silent. Knockout sighed, taking a seat. "Of all the things that I expected to happen, this was certainly not one of them."

"What do you think is wrong with him?" Megatron asked, narrowing his optics. "Do you think the Autobots perhaps planted false memories in his processor before…?"

Knockout shook his head, optics closed. "I don't believe so… they would've had to wipe his banks clean which would leave him with absolutely no memory of any of us. He knows who we are… but he doesn't." His optics snapped open, suddenly getting an idea. "Hold up… I think I've read about this somewhere before." He stood up, quickly heading out of the Med Bay. "But if we're to prove this theory, we're gonna have to do something you'll probably disapprove of, sir."

Megatron looked down at him, following the medic with a small sense of dread filling his spark.

"We're going to have to use the Cortical Psychic Patch."

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**Yep, definitely liked the first version better. Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed! This is my first Transformers fic so I'd be really grateful if I could get some feedback on anything I can do to make this better. Reviews make my day, really they do. And I'll have to see what I can do about writing the next chapter faster, it may be a little bit of a wait. **

**'Till next time. **


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